1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the rinsing or cleaning of chemically treated articles or workpieces, and more particularly to an apparatus for counterflow spray rinsing chemically treated workpieces that are supported within a plating barrel. The rinsing of the workpieces is provided by mens sequential counterflow spraying internally of the barrel, wherein only a single rinse tank is used during the rinsing steps in an electroplating process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties are encountered in providing suitable and efficient water-rinsing means for rinsing or cleaning of chemically treated articles or workpieces, more specifically workpieces that are supported in a rotatable process barrel. Rinsing of workpieces is generally required after they have been chemically or similarly treated by one of several processes whereby workpieces or articles are cleaned to prevent staining or to prevent the contamination of any sequential processes that might be necessary. Rinsing is generally done by placing the barrel with treated parts in a tank of running water or rinse solution, or sequentially dipping the parts in several tanks. However, sprays using water-rinsing solutions have been utilized for a rinsing method wherein a single workpiece is being processed. Generally, in such spray methods several rinse stations are sequentially mployed. Sprays have also been utilized in combination with flooded rinse tanks.
The combination using both the flooded tanks and sprays is advocate by H. L. Pinkerton and A. Kenneth Graham in their chapter on rinsing in "Electroplating Engineering Handbook", third edition, edited by a A. Kenneth Graham, 1971 (Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 75-12904), where they stated: